Dear friends,
Hope your summer is going well, wherever you are! (For those who aren’t here, Albany is having the heat-wave this week, too).
If local – we’re doing most Cozy-Shabbat weekends this summer, including this July 4th Shabbat. Dinner 8pm, Lunch 1pm. And we’ll be doing most Cozy-Shabbats for the rest of the summer. (Yes, we spend a lot of Sundays or some midweek days away: weddings, reunions, special occasions, getting kids to and from camp, attending conferences and such – but most of the Shabbosim we’re home and hosting).
JULY 4TH – AMERICA’S 250!
Lots of buzz about American’s 250th, aka its semiquincentennial. There’ll be lots of fireworks for Havdalah this week! Thinking of doing a little local driving tour with the kids on Sunday of nearby Revolutionary War-era historic sites: Schuyler Mansion, Van Schaick Mansion, Fort Crailo, Ten Broeck Mansion… though it might be a little too hot out to do long outdoor walking places like Albany Rural Cemetery and the Saratoga Battlefield. We did make a small post on Early Jewish America – people & things with lessons that remain relevant today, perhaps to enrich your July 4th Shabbat.
THE “DRAWN TOGETHER” GRAND-DRAW – AND WHAT DRAW MEANS:
The Shabbos House “Drawn Together” page in the annual Chabad on Campus summer 2026 “Grand Draw” raffle (all tickets via this link go directly to Shabbos House) ends on July 15th – just over a week left. Tickets are $36 each. We’ve titled this year’s Grand Draw as “Drawn Together!” as that’s a lot of what campus community and connection is about. Thinking about the meaning of this simple yet complex multi-use word led us down a rabbit-hole about the many uses and meanings of the word Draw, including a very nice insight from our daughter Rivka and a connection to this week’s Pinchas Torah portion.
RIVKA’S BAS-MITZVAH – JULY 12
Coming up soon! Can’t believe our youngest is turning 12! We’re celebrating on Sunday July 12th 4-6pm here at Shabbos House. She’s working on a presentation about the Vessels of the Mishkan/Beit haMikdash (appropriate for her birthday during the period of “The Three Weeks” when we mourn, remember, and study about the Jerusalem Temple). Those who can make it are very welcome! (We’ll also have a girls party in September when more of her classmates and UAlbany students will be back). If you plan to join Rivka’s July 12th Bas-Mitzvah your RSVP is helpful.
SUMMER UPDATES
Late June to mid-July is Connection Day season and we’ve been tabling there to meet incoming freshmen and their families. We’ll be sending out Welcome Packages to incoming freshman at the start of August. If you know of a student coming to UAlbany, please let us know! Bassie is out west chaperoning a CTeen trip driving from Colorado to LA, Bluma is a counselor in an overnight camp in Quebec. Chani is spending this week in Chicago watching her little cousins while their parents are in Israel. Our younger girls start local Camp Gan Israel day-camp here this coming week. Mendel will be speaking for Chabad rabbis on Long Island on July 19th, and at a study conference in Ithaca NY August 10-11, Raizy will be at an educators conference in Stamford CT Aug 4-5. And there’s more in the works.
Happy July 4th with all of its relevant messages and wishes, and have a wonderful Shabbos! Best wishes for a memorable and enjoyable summer!
Love,
Mendel and Raizy
Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center